CRN Components and Peripherals News

Virtual desktop technology is on the verge of enabling significant reductions related to desktop PCs in much the same way that server virtualization has started reducing server overhead of midrange businesses.

In the months after Microsoft Corp. began shipping notebook PCs with Windows Vista installed--and even during Vista beta-testing phases--many users complained about poor battery performance. Before long, a memo began spreading that the flashy Aero Glass user interface was to blame.

All of IT is moving more of its day-to-day work toward the edge of the network, and Intel Corp. is seeking to move more of its resources there as well--clearly positioning its new Atom lineup of low-power processors to take advantage of that growth potential. And the Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip maker believes the channel will play a big role.

Churning up IT spending this year: war, a tough economy and a presidential election

Jay Tipton, owner and vice president of business solutions at Fort Wayne, Ind.-based solution provider Technology Specialists, and a director on the board at the Computing Technology Industry Association, on getting into the midmarket blade server market:

Super Micro, IBM and Dell take the midmarket blade server challenge

When CRN Test Center reviewers first set out to examine midmarket blade servers, much of the rhetoric in the space revolved around claims and counterclaims by giants IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. Each company claimed to offer the best solution for midmarket blades, and the invective between the two was more heated than the racks of dense servers each could plug into a wall.

Of all the major segments in IT, the printer space remains one of the most expansive and competitive. While consolidation in the software and PC spaces has continued apace over the past year, the printer industry is as broad as ever—and choices remain as complex when it comes to color printing.